


Stage Two - Entrance to the Arena

by LoveChilde



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Community: purimgifts, Gen, Gods having fun, Parades, Pomp and Cirumstance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:49:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29678685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveChilde/pseuds/LoveChilde
Summary: The Gods enter the Game Arena, each with their own show of power.
Kudos: 2
Collections: Purimgifts 2021





	Stage Two - Entrance to the Arena

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Wildcard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildcard/gifts).



“Ladies, gentlemen, peasants and beast, creatures from near and far!” The God of War stood high on a platform above the arena, his voice amplified to each every ear in the seats around it, speaking a language understood by all. “Welcome! Welcome to the first, the last, the ab-so-lute _ONLY_ \- Olympian Hunger Games!” 

The ground shook with the noise of tens of thousands howling, clapping and stomping, roaring their approval of the games. 

“Soon, in this very arena, before your eyes - and very much for _your_ entertainment - my siblings and parents will attempt to be the last divine being standing, to prove themselves the greatest.” Ares grinned, delighted at his own cleverness, at the audience, at the fact that his siblings and divine parents were about, in effect, to worship him and exalt his part in Creation. It was a marvel. A joy. Simply Superb-

“My Lord?” The centaur at his left (and one step behind him, of course) cleared his throat slightly. “The games.”

“Of course. The games.” Ares nodded quickly, refocusing, and boomed, “Let the participants enter!” 

“First into the arena, people of the world - Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love, representing _District One_!”

Aphrodite, wrapped in the lightest, most delicate and yet decadent silk, which covered just enough of her to be quite indecent, rode into the arena on an oversized oyster shell, hair streaming behind her, waving at the crowd with a radiant smile. Tiny cherubs shot firework arrows around her as the crowd cheered. 

“Second, please welcome the Queen of all Gods, Lady Hera herself, representing _District Two!_!”

Hera rolled in riding in a float shaped like a fort, complete with a moat, and drawn by two white swans with silvered wings. She was dressed simply yet regally, her hair covered, her eyes blazing. Ares almost felt pity for Zeus in the games to come - but only almost. The crowd’s cheers were more sedate, but just as loud. 

“Third, and coming in fast - please welcome my brother, Hephaestus, representing _District Three!_ ”

Hephaestus was not, in fact, moving in fast at all; in fact, his forge rolled in with ponderous slowness, allowing the crowd to fully appreciate the smith’s coal-blackened skin, burned arm and one eye. Some may have thought he was at a disadvantage in these games, but Ares knew his brother’s skill with the hammer, and felt not the least concern for him. 

Then again, he rarely felt concern for any of his siblings. 

“Fourth, representing _District Four_ , please give a warm watery welcome to...Poseidon!” 

The Lord of the Sea floated in on a boat accompanied by high waves that drenched the lower rows of spectators, drawn by matching hippocampi. He waved his trident menacingly, and the crowd roared their approval of his bloodlust, safe on land where his power rarely reached. 

“Fifth, representing _District Five_ \- Zeus!” 

The King of Heaven flew in under his own power, lighting bolts blazing. Women swooned, and men grumbled. Clouds followed him and wind blew the pennants around the area, and threatened to upend the other participants. 

“Sixth, , representing _District Six_ \- Hermes!”

The Gods’ Messenger flitted about on winged sandals, blowing kisses at the crowd. The light breeze of his passing dispersed Zeus’s clouds, through which showed a pale moon, foreshadowing the next representative. 

“Seventh, representing _District Five_ \- Artemis!” 

Barefoot and wielding a bow, Artemis was cheered on mainly by women. Her armed madwomen swarmed around her, snarling and snapping at the men in the front rows. 

“Eighth, representing _District Eight_ \- Athena!” 

Athena was carried in by a length of spider-silk and an invisible wind, armed to the teeth. The crowd hummed in awed near-silence, but from thousands even near-silence is quite loud. 

“...Representing _District Nine_ \- Demeter!” 

She rolled in nestled in a cornucopia, scattering seeds as she went. Ares had chosen the timing of the games well, and Demeter was in an excellent mood. 

“... _District Ten_ \- Apollo!”

The Sun God was drawn in by a team of his sacred cattle, in a simple cart. He was almost too bright to look at. 

“ _District Eleven_ \- Dionysus!” 

Showers of glitter and starbursts of grapes preceded the drunk and stumbling god into the arena. Satyrs led him along, tugging and pushing to keep him vaguely on track.

“And finally, representing _District Twelve_ \- Hades!” 

Expectant silence ensued, but the God of Death took his sweet time. Finally, with the centaurs growing frantic, Hades was rowed in, standing in a simple boat behind Cheiron, his servant and boatman. Grey and barely there, he rounded out the twelve, and when the crowd finally noticed him, their applause shook the roof. 

The twelve gods circled around the arena, each brandishing their part of creation, representing the somewhat arbitrary ‘districts’ Ares had awarded each of them. Zeus was scowling, Athena looked suspicious, but neither expression was out of place on their faces. The others spanned the range of attitude from apathy to enthusiasm, each for their reason.

It was a very good start, yes.

Ares clapped his hands once, with a noise like a thousand swords hitting a thousand shields, and the crowd fell silent. 

“People of the world - let the games BEGIN! Participants -” his voice was honey sweet, his smile a reproduction of Aphrodite’s, taken without her permission, “May the odds be _ever_ in your favor.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy second day of Purim! The gods are allocated Districts according to what the District produces, and the domain of the relevant deity.


End file.
